CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

what exactly are bio balls cause i was reading on here and you were talking about them and i have seen them at my fish store but i dont no what they do

but i dont no what they do

basically they give benificial bacteria a place to live to help eat amonia and keep your water clean

oh so there pretty much like carbon and stuuf like that. but i dont see how army men or old shotgun shells could be used as theses. how can they

No, carbon provides chemical filtration. It removes chemical impurities in the water. Bio balls just provide a large surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow. As long as the bio media has large surface area (like army men or crushed shotgun shells) then it will serve the same purpose. Many people actually use balled up fishing line in their wet/dry filters and that works well for them!!!

its just another surface so the good bacteria will grow on. everything in your tank that touches the water(gravel, filter media, plants, etc) has the bacteria on it, but with the wet/dry, it gives a lot more.

and just to clearify, carbon does provide biological filtration too, its just that everytime u have to change the carbon, the bacteria has to grow on it again

ok thanks for the help

and just to clearify, carbon does provide biological filtration too, its just that everytime u have to change the carbon, the bacteria has to grow on it again

I had always thought that to,but if militaries use carbon lined suits to defend against biological (and chemical) weapons,does that mean that the effectiveness or the absorbtion power of carbon needs to be used up before bacteria can colonize it?

Just a thought,anyone know?

The carbon in chem suits doesn't defend against biological agents, it only defends against liquid/solid chemical weapons. Biological and gaseous chemical weapons are neutralized by the gas mask.

I'm not an expert, but I've been through the training every year for the past 5 years.